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Game 4 Recap vs. Oakland 4/2
2008-04-03 01:53:00
Pitching: Jon Lester continued where Dice-K left off getting ahead of batters and went into the 7th inning giving up only 3 hits. The Sox pen was also excellent; Corey pitched 1 and a third getting 2 K's, and Delcarmen was perfect to finish it out. The Red Sox pitchers have only given up 6 hits and 1 run in the last 2 games. You cannot expect anything better than that.Offense: Boston had a hard time pushing runs across the plate until Big Papi hit a long ball in the 7th. The hits were there: Pedroia, Youk, Papi, Tek, Crisp, and Cora had two hits apiece. The Red Sox were able to string together 5 consecutive hits in the 8th. Manny had a tough day at the plate striking out with bases loaded in the first and hitting into an inning ending double play with them loaded again in the 8th. Tek continued to stay hot with a home run that actually counted today.Game Notes: The Red Sox took 3 of 4 against Oakland under difficult travel circumstances. Ellsbury came into the game late as ...
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Lester Shuts Down The A's...Big Papi Delivers the Offense
2008-04-02 23:42:00
Jon Lester pitched very well today in Oakland going 6 2/3 shutout innings and only giving up 2 hits. Youk continued to hit well with a double in the 7th followed by a Big Papi 2 run homer. If you read the earlier post you would see that I predicted a homer for Ortiz in his second at bat today...he hit in his fourth. Sox lead 2-0 in the 7th.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

Sox Leave 'em Loaded in the First
2008-04-02 21:49:00
The Red Sox could not take advantage of a bases loaded no out situation in the first. Pedroia led off the game with a single followed by walks to Youk and Big Papi. Manny and Lowell both struck out and J.D. grounded out to end the inning.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Today's Lineup vs Oakland 4/2
2008-04-02 19:47:00
2B-Dustin Pedroia 1B-Kevin Youkilis DH-David Ortiz LF-Manny Ramirez 3B-Mike Lowell RF-J.D. Drew C-Jason Varitek CF-Coco Crisp SS-Alex CoraDrew is back in right after missing 3 games, he did take BP yesterday. Tito is going with Coco over Ellsbury in center, not my favorite choice but Francona usually makes the right decisions like moving Tek up in the order yesterday. Cora is in at short, he had a very strong spring and could bring some pop to the bottom of the order. Big Papi is due for a hit, Fenway West is predicting a home run in his second at bat.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Game 3 Recap
2008-04-02 15:12:00
Pitching: Dice-K brought his A game, stayed ahead in the count and had hitters off balance all night. He was getting easy ground outs and weak foul balls and only had one mistake all night. Okajima got the job done but he walked the first batter he faced, not his best night but it worked. Papelbon was scary good last night. He was hitting 98 on the Coliseum gun and Oakland batters had no chance against him. Overall a dominant performance from Boston's arms.Offense: Tek came out of his slump in a big way after Tito moved him up in the order. He was robbed of an extra base hit in the 5th by a web-gem catch and robbed of a homer later. Youk went 3-4 and had a big 2 out triple. Ellsbury was hitting the ball hard and was rewarded with an RBi when Youk got by Suzuki at the plate. Coco did not look good in the batter's box, he did have a nice bunt but it just showed that he is not confident in his bat right not. Papi also went 0-4. He was getting under the ball in BP and it c...
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Tek Shuts Me Up
2008-04-02 05:41:00
Just when I was beginning to get on 'Tek's case (after all, he was looking lost at the plate), he comes through with a big 2 out hit in the 6th. It looked like a homer, Tito argued the case, but the umpires in Oakland ruled it a ground rule double. Nonetheless, Tek's hit drove in Youk to give the Sox a 2-1 lead. Nice work Tek. I'm glad to see the bat come alive.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

Tek Can't Buy a Hit
2008-04-02 04:31:00
Nothing seems to be going right for Jason Varitek. He finally makes a tiny bit of contact with a ball only to pop out in Oakland's massive foul territory. Tek is now 0-9 with six strikeouts on the season. Ouch.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

Dice-K Needs A Good Start
2008-04-02 00:13:00
Much like game one the Red Sox need to get on the board early and Dice -K needs to stay ahead in the count for the Sox to win. Boston did not play well in Japan but did come away with a win thanks mainly to Brandon Moss. Moss will not be with the team tonight when they face Blanton again. There can be no more excuses of jet lag or travel; Oakland players were in Japan too. Boston bats need to wake up tonight, Dice-K needs to pitch well, and the Red Sox need to begin their long defense of the World Series title. I think everyone would be happy with a split of the 2 games in Oakland but the Red Sox do not want to lose the first game and have the chance of heading to Toronto with a losing record. It is a long season but games in April count as much as games in September. Time for me to head to Oakland and watch it all unravel. I will be posting details and pictures from game 1 tomorrow. The game is on NESN and CSN Bay Area.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Red Sox Now 4th For Salary $
2008-04-01 23:36:00
The Red Sox cut $10 million for their payroll and are now 4th in terms of salaries behind the Yankees, Mets, and Tigers. The Sox payroll is now $133,440,037.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Baseball By the Bay
2008-04-01 16:52:00
The regular season resumes in the U.S. for the Red Sox in Oakland at 7:05 tonight. I will be heading out the the Coliseum in time for a little tailgating and to check out B.P. I was able to get seats on the Red Sox side (1st base in Oakland) on the second level a few rows back. I have mixed feelings about Oakland Coliseum, it has awful configurations with way too much foul territory. Two years ago the A's stopped selling tickets to the upper deck to try to make it a more exclusive ticket, before that they had promotions like $1 upper deck seats and $1 hot dogs on Wednesdays. Can you imagine that in Boston? However, the Oakland Coliseum is also where I was able to get a front row ticket to game 5 of the 2003 ALDS, one of the best Red Sox games in recent memory, one that would be remembered more fondly if not for the Grady Little/Aaron F. Boone ALCS that followed. Last year I was able to get tickets behind home plate to watch Schilling's near perfect game. When the A's move...
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New Team, Same Gagne
2008-04-01 16:45:00
In case you missed it, former Red Sox disaster Eric Gagne made his first regular season appearance with the Brewers yesterday. The new $10 million closer gave up a hit, walk and a 3 run homer to blow the save. I guess he has not been able to find a steroids dealer since leaving L.A. It sure is nice that he is someone else's problem now.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Kielty Will Go To Pawtucket
2008-04-01 14:49:00
Bobby Kielty is staying with the Red Sox in the hope that Coco gets traded and he can get some playing time as the 4th outfielder. Yesterday there was a chance he might leave the team to persue a full time gig with another team but that did not develop. For now Kielty will go the PawSox and wait it out but he has some new competition with Brandon Moss to be the next in line.In other Sox news: Boston Dirt Dogs is running an April Fool's joke of Roger* returning to play for Boston this season, check it out.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

J.D. Will Not Start On Tuesday
2008-04-01 03:17:00
J.D. Drew says his back is ok and he is ready to return but Tito is going to keep him out of the lineup tomorrow. Coco will get the start in center and Ellsbury will be in right when Boston resumes the series with Oakland. Drew should be in the lineup for Wednesday's day game.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Red Sox Sign Another Japanese Pitcher
2008-03-31 21:17:00
The Red Sox ties to the land of the rising sun have grown stronger with the addition of another Japanese Pitcher . Boston signed right-hander Terumasa Matsuo as a free agent today. When he pitched for the Kagawa Olive Guyners, Matsuo was MVP of his league and had a record 15-3 with 159 K's and a 1.72 ERA. These stats are impressive but he was playing in the equivalent to a single A minor league in Japan. Matsuo responded to the signing by saying the following: ''It still hasn't hit home yet but I want to try to play my best baseball.''Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Opening Day
2008-03-31 20:09:00
Clean up the grill, stock the fridge, and find a comfortable chair; baseball is back. The long winter wait is over, you can now head out to the ballpark for a great afternoon of fun or you can track your fantasy team stats on the ESPN crawler at the bar. Peter Gammons and Joe Castiglione's voices will be heard again. The outfield grass is the perfect hue of green, bunting adorns the infield walls, Yankee fans are getting rained on. There is joy in Mudville. Opening day should be a national holiday.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

Clock is Ticking on Kielty
2008-03-31 16:39:00
Bobby Kielty may not be with the Red Sox by day's end. He told the Red Sox he would report to Pawtucket but now if another team is offers him a spot in the show by the end of the day he may take it.. Kielty will only get playing time in the majors for Boston if/when Coco is traded. As long as Crisp remains on the team there is no room for him. Kiety said the following about the situation: “Boston has been pretty good about letting me explore options and see what’s out there, I don’t think there’s a set decision. We’ll see what happens in the next 24 hours. There’s definitely something out there. It’s just a matter of waiting and seeing what happens. I don’t want to go anywhere, but we’ll see. If there’s a big league job somewhere, I might have to take it.”On a side note, Kielty had the only hit for the Red Sox in yesterday's exhibition game against the Dodgers.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Buchholz Struggles Again
2008-03-31 01:09:00
Clay Buchholz did not get through 4 innings after giving up 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits and 3 walks. His spring ERA of over 9 is actually going up after this outing. He will start a game against Toronto on Saturday but another start like this one and he is likely find himself in the pen or Pawtucket. Tek's struggles also continue, he is 0-2 but at least he has not K'd today. Sox have only managed one hit so far (Kielty) and are losing 8-0 in the 8th.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

Clay's Big Day
2008-03-30 17:17:00
The circus has left town but the Red Sox and Dodgers still have one more exhibition game to play, this time at Dodger Stadium in front of a much smaller crowd. In the final tuneup before the regular season resumes for Boston there will not be much pressure on most of the players. The two exceptions are Tek and Buchholz. Jason Varitek is in the middle of a bad slump and needs to get a hit or just make some solid contact to get his swing going before Tuesday. For Buchholz, this could be a make or break game; if he continues to struggle he may find himself joining el Gordo in Pawtucket for the start of the season. Buchholz has an ERA of 9.35 this spring and has not solidified his spot in the rotation. Tavarez and Snyder have not done much to earn the spot either but both have more experience in the majors. Buchholz was very hyped up in the off season and seen as an instant addition to the roster. Reports of his intensive training before camp had many fans thinking he could be t...

Wake's Looking Good
2008-03-30 15:47:00
With Schilling sidelined, Dice-K and Buchholz looking like they still need to work things out, Beckett recovering from his back ailment, and El Gordo working in Pawtucket to build up his pitch count, one thing is certain, we need Tim Wakefield to pitch well in April.Last night in L.A., Wake showed that he is ready to start the season. Wake pitched 5 innings giving up one run. His Spring ERA is down to 1.29. Following the game, Tito and Kevin Cash spoke to the ProJo: "I thought Wake did a great job of not letting things get in the way of his preparation,'' Francona said. "He threw strikes and did well.'' "He's been really good every game since I've started catching him,'' said catcher Kevin Cash. "It's not easy to maintain your stuff every time out, but he has. He's definitely in a good spot with his mechanics.'' Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Theo's "Red Sox Way"
2008-03-30 15:34:00
Jeff Goldberg in today's Hartford Courant looks back at what brought the Sox to their winning ways.His article reminds Sox fans of some of the tough decisions that Theo made, parting ways with Pedro, Derek Lowe, and Orlando Cabrera. How many Sox fans thought moving Nomar was a good idea? Goldberg makes a good point that many Sox fans and the media focused on the players that struggled to replace them, Clement and Renteria. Meanwhile, the Sox were drafting extremely well and developing young talent.Theo told Goldberg, "the only way to appease the perception police is to think short term. That gets you nowhere. We never want to back away from a difficult decision or taking a chance. ... If you're a slave to perception, you'll be scared of your shadow around here."Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

Sox-Dodgers Update
2008-03-30 05:19:00
The 2 Kevins (Cash and Youk) have each enjoyed the dimensions of the Coliseum and have a home run. Ellsbury has 2 hits and is 1-2 on stolen base attempts. Wake is pitching well, Sox lead 5-1. As much as I hate the wave, seeing 100,000 + doing it (including members of the Dodgers and Red Sox) is pretty impressive.UPDATE: The local L.A. station even broadcasts 1 inning in black and white to get some nostalgia for 1958 when the Dodgers first played at the Coliseum. Players on both teams look like they are having fun. Sox push across 2 more runs, Wake comes out in the 6th. Boston leads 7-1Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Tonight's Lineup
2008-03-30 04:00:00
Here it is:Julio Lugo 6Dustin Pedroia 4David Ortiz DHMike Lowell 5Kevin Youkilis 3Coco Crisp 8Jacoby Ellsbury 9Bobby Kielty 7Kevin Cash 2We don't get to see Manny try to play the screen in left.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Get Ready For Some Bucky F'n Dent Style Home Runs
2008-03-29 21:06:00
Click on the picture for a diagram of the Coliseum dimensions for tonights game from the L.A. Times. With Wake on the mound it may be a high scoring one. I hope the wind in not blowing out.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Saturday Sox Roundup
2008-03-29 15:38:00
The Red Sox lost 3-1 to the Dodgers in an exhibition game last night in L.A.Colon pitched very well but was sent to AAA after the game. The Red Sox want him to get more in shape and get his pitch count up in the minors before rejoining the team. The Red Sox also save money if he starts the season in the minors. He is proving to be a good pickup for Boston.Mike Timlin is headed to the 15 day DL for his finger injury retroactive to March 20.Tek's bat has all but disappeared. In the last 3 games he is 0-11 with 9 K's. He has barely been able to get a foul tip lately. Let's hope he can get some quality at bats before Tuesday to work this out.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Hank's Mom Can't Pitch
2008-03-29 06:18:00
Legends Field, the Yankee Spring Training site, was renamed Steinbrenner Field today. The cover of the new George M Steinbrenner sign got did not come off smoothly because Hank could not figure out how to pull it off: "I kept telling Hank, 'You're pulling too hard. You're pulling too hard,'" Hal Steinbrenner said. Hank's Mom Joan Steinbrenner (George's wife) had the honor of throwing out the first pitch. Her pitch barely made it 6 feet before rolling to Posada. To further disgrace the field, the Yankees lost to the Pirates (perhaps the worst team in baseball) 5-2. You can watch the entire ceremony here if you can stomach it.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Sox in Trade Talks With Padres
2008-03-08 16:27:00
San Diego Padres centerfielder Jim Edmonds is going to be sidelined for a while with a strained calf. The Padres are going to try using Scott Hairston in center, but that may not be ideal. According to the San Diego Union Tribune, Padres GM Kevin Towers isn't ruling out a trade for a center fielder. Never one to miss an opportunity, Theo got in quick contact with Towers to discuss a possible trade deal.The Sox would move Coco to the Padres. The Sox are reportedly interested in either Chase Headley or Matt Antonelli.Towers told the San Diego Tribune, “We won't give up either of those guys.” Keep an eye on this one folks, it could be a real opportunity for the Sox.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Coco Says He Played Hurt Last Season
2008-03-08 07:46:00
Coco Crisp is starting to see the writing on the wall. Even with Jacoby struggling out of the gate this season he seems to be the starting center fielder. Coco was called the incumbent before the start of spring training but once he missed a few games with a groin injury the Red Sox found a way to make him a reserve player. Today Coco responded to his position on the team by telling the Union Leader the following:"I played with a broken toe, an oblique injury, (and) I was freaking popping my shoulder all crazy trying to dive for balls," said Crisp, who clarified that the toe was actually a fracture to the sesamoid bone on the ball of his left foot. "I know, and I think the team knows, that I went out there and played hurt last year. Not to be rewarded with an actual opportunity to help, it kind of hurts."Coco's days in Boston are numbered; he is starting to sound like Nomar before he was traded.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Red Sox Pitchers Look Like They Are Throwing BP
2008-03-07 21:34:00
This will not go down as a good day for Sox pitching. Yes, it is spring training and pitchers are trying out new pitches but many are also competing for a spot on the roster. Take a look at some of the numbers put up by Sox pitchers today:IPHRERBBSOHRERA Buchholz 3.033303212.60 Papelbon 2.03220104.50 Lopez 1.01111003.00IPHRERBBSOHRERA Tavarez 2.24442107.94 Snyder 3.05552117.50Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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Buchholz Continues to Struggle
2008-03-07 19:41:00
It's only the second inning in today's Sox-Twins game in Ft. Myers, but one thing is already clear: Buchholz is not ready for the regular season. He's already given up two taters and hit a batter. He's given up 3 earned runs in the game so far.Meanwhile Tavarez goes 2.2 giving up 4 hits and 2 walks and 4 earned runs. Does anyone want to be the 5th starter? Bartolo, the door is open maybe you can squeeze through.(no pun intended)Jacoby is 0-2.....is Santana still available?Papelbon goes 2 innings giving up 2 earned runs...good thing he got his $ yesterday.Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation

The Manny Rewards Program
2008-03-07 19:26:00
Increasingly baseball contracts are filled with incentives. Recent contracts have included clauses providing extra cash for making the playoffs, staying healthy, or reaching statistical milestones.Manny has taken it upon himself to augment the Red Sox contracts with his own incentives program. We'll call it "Manny Rewards ." The primary beneficiary of the Manny Rewards program is 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia. Manny felt that Pedroia needed some bling to go along with his Rookie of the Year trophy, so Manny bought Pedroia a Rolex watch.Manny told the ProJo: “He’s a great kid with a great heart. I love him. He’s got a great personality and I don’t care what he does on the field because, as a person, he’s such a great guy. You can talk to him and he’s always happy and working hard.”“If he hits .300 this year, I’ll give him something else,” Ramirez said. “I want him to keep it going.”Fenway West- The Western Home to Red Sox Nation
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